Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Talented climber Mikel Landa will make his debut Grand Tour appearance this year, Cobbles & Hills reports. The 22-year-old is set to line up in Pamplona in August for the start of the Vuelta a España.

"After a first block of racing concluding with the Vuelta a Madrid, I'll put my feet up and prepare for the Vuelta a España", the Vitoria native said. "That first block will include a race in France later this month (Les Boucles du Sud Ardèche), before I'll go on to the Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-San Remo, GP Induráin, Vuelta al País Vasco, Llodio, Rioja, Asturias, Castilla y León and then Madrid".

The youngster made quite an impression in his first year with the team - what with taking out the queen-stage in the Vuelta a Burgos ahead of Cobo, Purito, Samu et al. Despite Euskaltel's future beyond the current season being up in the air, Landa is pretty sure his second season with the orange outfit won't be his last.

"Miguel (Madariaga), Igor (González de Galdeano) and Guerri (Gerrikagoitia) have all told us the team will still exist in 2013, whether or not it's with another name, with or without Miguel... We're all pretty relaxed about it. Sure, there's some degree of uncertainty, but all in all we're tranquilo."

Not only Landa's sporting achievements caught the eye last year. The former Orbea rider turned heads by breaking his collarbone not once, not twice, but an impressive three times in his maiden season in the WorldTour - one of them as a result of a run-in with a cow in the Dauphiné. He isn't getting too downbeat about his bad luck though, saying he's finding better ways to cope with the adversity with each passing fracture.

"The last time I broke it (in late November) was the least annoying. I lost a month of preparation, but by then I had at least figured out the best sleeping positions and the best ways to eat!"